After resisting the urge to get one of these for - uhh - at least two years now, it finally happened. An air fryer has appeared at Chez Badass. My reasons for hesitating included (not limited to): having to surrender even more precious counter space to yet another small kitchen appliance; pondering if it was all that and a bag of (air-fried) chips i.e. being not entirely convinced it would be better than roasting things in my convection toaster oven; not liking most fried foods anyways; telling myself to "get a fucking grip" on most of my random thoughts on the daily. Meantime, I was studying air fryers...at times, intensely.

OK, I finally caved. My internet "research" led me to this particular make and model.
Pretty small footprint, all things considered.

The first thing I made in my new toy kitchen appliance was sweet potato fries.

Cutting up the sweet potato
Seasoning the fries
Yummy finished product
A tasty success!

Next up - I found a package of chicken wings on sale at the grocery store (and it was the time of the Superbowl - not that I pay attention to sports - but in keeping with the situation...):

Seasoned wings waiting for the air fryer
Finished wings, with homemade blue cheese dipping sauce and veggies
Another success!

I also tried my hand at "regular" fries, learning in the process that russet potatoes make the best ones.

A russet potato tossed in a teaspoon of peanut oil and a dusting of salt
Pure deliciousness
And the hits just keep on comin'! Definitely better tasting than oven-roasted.

Alas, my success with my new toy appliance just couldn't last. In keeping with Widow Badass tradition, I will let you in on my kitchen failure. I attempted to make a recipe with tofu. Not just any tofu but puffed tofu (something new to moi). My daughter and I had tried a delicious tofu appetizer from Shed, when we were in Tofino earlier last month, and I was hoping to recreate it at home. I found this video, which is a close contender to Shed's version:

Now I just had to find the elusive tofu puffs.

Found, at a local Asian grocery store!
I also found the mini size, and brought home both kinds.

I tried the mini-puffs first.

Definitely crispy-looking. (I put a piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the air fryer, to make an already easy cleanup even easier.)
They look amazing, right?

Unfortunately I had let them go a bit too long in the air fryer. I was left with candied air, basically. So, let's try this again...this time with the regular sized puffs:

Assembling the 3 ingredients - well, 4 counting the green onions
Timed it right!
Second time is the charm!
Crunchy, chewy, sweet-hot perfection.

Lesson learned. When the YouTuber says to check every 4 minutes while cooking, do as he instructs!

Since I brought the air fryer home, I have used it almost every single day. In addition to the foods featured above, I have also used it to roast asparagus (delish), kabocha squash (delightful), and chicken thighs (crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside). Dare I say it: this could be my new favourite thing in the kitchen. (Sorry, pressure-cooker!) I love how quick it is to add a roasted vegetable to a meal. And using this little guy instead of heating up an oven (even my toaster oven) is much faster and therefore less wasteful of electricity, methinks. Consider me a convert!

That's what's on my plate for this month: anything I can cook in my new air fryer!

Please let my co-host Donna or myself know what's on your plate at your house, in the Comments section of either of our WOYPBC posts (or both, if you are so inclined!). If you are feeling extra chatty 🙂 and have the time, please let me know if you have an air fryer, and what are your favourite tips/tricks/things to cook in one. I'd love to learn more about this wonder appliance and what it can do! Please check out Donna's delicious March post, here.

Rock on,

The WB